Scott, what's the deal? Is this even being addressed at the factory?
QB RV-10, right wing vent ?B? nut 1.75 turns loose. Leaked after first flight. Tightened thru fuel level port.
After hearing so many stories about leaking Q.B. tanks, I decided to do a preemptive strike on my -7 tanks, and I sent them to Paul at Weep No More. He opened up the rear baffles and completely stripped the inside of the tanks. He then applied his sealing compound and closed the tanks up. He stopped short in saying that in his opinion if the tanks would have actually leaked or not, but he did say that the quality of the workmanship left a lot to be desired. His service is a little bit expensive, but I feel like I can sleep at knight now knowing that my tanks won?t leak.
So the cost of your QB wings went up considerably. I would have a hard time eating that. IMHO.
So the cost of your QB wings went up considerably. I would have a hard time eating that. IMHO.
What does it cost to remove tanks after the fact and repair your $20K paint job?
A tank repair patch is $8.10 from Van's. Might be worth opening up at least the inboard and outboard bays for inspection.It appears some people are expecting Lexus quality but you are paying less than minimum wage for the Philippine labor.
Yes, it is.
It has been, and will continue to be the highest priority focus detail regarding QB quality.
Two things that I hope people will keep in mind while discussing this issue. (And before anyone accuses me of down playing any issue they might have had, I am not. Just stating facts that should be be kept in mind by those that are interested in the subject)
QB kits have been available for a loooong time (first one was delivered sometime in 1994/1995 time frame I think). That coupled with the fact that the average completion time of even a QB kit is a few years, makes it clear that an issue that someone encounters recently, can be in tanks that were completed many years ago.
A sample count of 20 in a poll, out of 500+ QB kits produced (just a guess, it is probably double that or more), is not in any way going to give a reasonable indication of what the leak rate in QB fuel tanks is. That coupled with the fact that in the world of the internet, anyone that has ever had a problem with something is always willing to talk about it to anyone that will listen..... those that were totally pleased with something, rarely say anything.
Let me be one of those who speak positively about the QB tanks. I purchased two separate QB wings (RV7A and 14A) and very pleased with the QB tanks. The paint on a few of the rivets swelled up but no leak. The RV7A is about 10 years old now.
If mine were leaking, I would also be very very unhappy, considering both of my planes were painted prior to flying and it would be harder and a bigger pain to deal with a leaky tank when it is painted.I would not be able to say that I am pleased with the quality having that issue but as other stated, it depends of the level of quality each of us expects or accepts.
My tanks were not built by Van's but were leaking too. A friend of mine with quick built wings has a good dozen of rivets leaking from factory QB wings.
From my perspective, I find it unacceptable.
Yes, it is.
It has been, and will continue to be the highest priority focus detail regarding QB quality.
That coupled with the fact that the average completion time of even a QB kit is a few years, makes it clear that an issue that someone encounters recently, can be in tanks that were completed many years ago.
A sample count of 20 in a poll, out of 500+ QB kits produced (just a guess, it is probably double that or more), is not in any way going to give a reasonable indication of what the leak rate in QB fuel tanks is.
Well that's fair dinkum. What has Vans found from sold and delivered QB kits that had leaks? I would doubt that's it's anywhere near 50% but is 20% considered acceptable? If the leaks aren't found for a period of years due to the completion time frame, does that come into play as far as to whether or not Vans accepts that the quality is sub-standard? I know what Vans told me about my leaks and frankly, it was down-played based on time. I didn't complain earlier because I didn't build my -10 and I (rightfully) assumed Vans wouldn't do anything about it.
-Marc
That is a huge number, but at the time of this post, there are 18 leaks reported in the poll. A 20% leak rate would be a drastic production failure rate in any business, but I haven't seen what data that number is based on.
The build quality of my tanks appears to be very good. I've inspected with a borescope internally and performed pressure tests with no issues noted.